mejaka

Happened to us for the first time yesterday. I'm in the "kids are their own excuse" camp, and the bunch of us out with our GPS just look like we're earning a Boy Scout merit badge (three sons, one little girl). But I was trying to get my bearings on a suburban cache starting point when I had a slightly disturbing experience. We had been wandering around a vacant wooded lot a bit when I suddenly remembered that the description specifically said "bring your scooters, bikes, blades"--obviously we should be looking from the paved road. Called to the buggers and was standing on the shoulder waiting when I heard "Hi" *directly* behind me and turned to see an older man on a bike--not a grandfatherly type, though. Sort of intense-looking. He asked what we were doing. I was calling to the buggers--"Guys, we need to be out here," etc--hoping we weren't trespassing on this guy's property, but thinking that it wasn't likely as he didn't seem ticked off...nor quite curious either. He asked if we were checking out the property. I said, "No, just playing a game," called to the kids again, and stepped away from him a bit as he was seriously crowding my comfort zone. Next thing I knew the buggers were finally responding and they guy was halfway down the block. I felt kind of bad because I was a bit abrupt, but he appeared VERY suddenly, stood VERY close, and didn't call out "on your right" and pass by as he ought to have done. (Around here, even if you're going to stop and talk to someone, you call a warning and pass them first so that you don't startle them any more than necessary...) So my standard answers for those times when the whole truth doesn't seem appropriate will be basic stuff like-- "Playing a game." "Practicing with our GPS." "Teaching the kids a little about orienteering." "Boy Scout treasure hunt." Most times I feel okay just explaining geocaching, though.